Police investigating serial killer Peter Tobin have said he is in complete denial about his crimes.

Detective Superintendent David Swindle, of Strathclyde Police, who led the UK-wide investigation into the handyman murderer codenamed Operation Anagram, said Tobin will have killed others and had at least 40 aliases and 150 cars during his life.

During a press conference at Strathclyde Police headquarters in Glasgow city centre, he said: "He's in total denial. Peter Tobin is in total denial of the crimes he's convicted of. He didn't commit these, he says, and he hasn't done any other crimes.

"So, this is an individual who is in total denial and he won't admit anything."

Mr Swindle made the comments as the four-and-a-half-year investigation was being wound down.

Operation Anagram, launched in 2006 after Tobin murdered 23-year-old Polish student Angelika Kluk in Glasgow, was set up by Strathclyde Police to examine possible links to other UK murder inquiries.

The following year, two more Tobin victims were discovered - Vicky Hamilton, 15, and Dinah McNicol, 18 - who were buried in the garden of his former home in Margate, Kent.

Mr Swindle said hundreds of other cases had been looked at to see if there was a link to Tobin. "All unresolved murder inquiries, cold cases as the phrase is used, and missing persons in the UK," he added.

He stressed that Operation Anagram will never end and anyone with information regarding Tobin can still email the Operation Anagram incident room, which will be monitored daily. He also said he personally relayed the news of the development to the families of Tobin's three known victims.

The 56-year-old officer said he could not provide a figure of how much the investigation had cost but added: "What is the cost of the truth and what is the cost of lives?"